Cold Meaning
/kəʊld/Definition, CEFR level A1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjHaving a low temperature.
adjCausing the air to be cold.
Sentence Examples
You've given me your cold.
You'll soon get accustomed to this cold weather.
I'm cold. Turn the heating up.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The soup became ____ after sitting on the table for an hour.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The weather is very ____ today, so you need to wear a heavy coat.
Word Origin & History
Inherited from Middle English cold, from Anglian Old English cald. The West Saxon form, ċeald (“cold”), survived as early Middle English cheald, cheld, or chald. Both descended from Proto-West Germanic *kald, from Proto-Germanic *kaldaz, a participle form of *kalaną (“to be cold”), from Proto-Indo-European *gel- (“cold”). Cognates Cognate with Scots cald, cauld (“cold”), Saterland Frisian koold (“cold”), West Frisian kâld (“cold”), Dutch koud (“cold”), Low German kold, koolt, koold (“cold”), German kalt (“cold”), Danish kold (“cold”), Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk kald (“cold”), Swedish kall (“cold”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"As cold waters to a thirstie soule: so is good newes from a farre countrey."
— 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Proverbs 25:25:
"Oh cold, cold, rigid, dreadful Death, set up thine altar here, and dress it with such terrors as thou hast at thy command: for this is thy dominion!"
— 1843 December 19, Charles Dickens, “Stave Four. The Last of the Spirits.”, in A Christmas Carol. […], London: Chapman & Hall, […], →OCLC, page 137:
"I had always supposed that playboys didn't give a hoot for anything except blondes and cold bottles."
— 1960, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, chapter V, in Jeeves in the Offing, London: Herbert Jenkins, →OCLC:
"As fruits of hotter countries, transearthed in colder climates, have vigour enough in themselves to be fructuous according to their nature: but, that they are hindered by the chilling nips of the air, and the soil, wherein they are planted."
— 1904, Owen Felltham, William Henry Oliphant Smeaton, Resolves:
"Antarctica is the coldest, iciest place on Earth, which makes the recent warming event particularly worrying for many scientists. […] Larter said this happens less frequently in the East Antarctic because the ocean water there is much colder."
— 2022 March 25, Rachel Ramirez and Hafsa Khalil, “Antarctic ice shelf nearly the size of Los Angeles collapsed as temperatures soared to 40 above normal”, in CNN:
Explore More A1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The soup became ____ after sitting on the table for an hour.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The weather is very ____ today, so you need to wear a heavy coat.